Rest In Peace, JoePa

The first celebrity I ever saw is gone. Rest in peace, Coach.

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From The "That's SO Wrong" Files: South Park Takes On Penn State

South Park Cracks on Penn State - More bloopers are a click away

Blast From The Past: Chaz Powell

I featured Penn State football player Chaz Powell two years ago when he was a sophomore running back - he's now a senior, playing at the cornerback position.

Flashback From My College Days - Queen Bee

DustBunnies, you need to see and hear this woman. Tonya Browne was the lead singer (AKA "Queen Bee") of Queen Bee and the Blue Hornet band, a FANTASTIC blues band from State College, PA - the home of Penn State University. While at PSU, I spent many an evening watching them perform in various bars around town (the Phyrst, the Brickhouse, Cafe 210 West and the Skellar). After weeks of seeing their shows, Tonya made my night by coming up to me during one of their breaks and sitting down at my table. I told her I knew every word to every one of her songs, to which she replied with a giggle "I know, I watch you singing while I'm on stage". LOVE HUH.

After graduation, friends and I would travel to see Queen Bee and the band when they did shows in the Harrisburg area. And Tanya would always come over and sit down and drink a beer with us - just like the old days. After I moved to NYC, a bunch of us went to see them at a club in the Village - and it turned out to be one of the most fun nights I've ever had in my life.

But, sadly, that would be the last time I would ever see Tonya Browne. The band broke up in 1999, and two years later Ms Browne died due to complications from diabetes. She was only 36 years old.

Just LISTEN to this woman - she needs to be heard (and remembered). The first video is (visually) pretty dark and crappy - but the second one is really good and shows Tonya at her finest. And yes, I still know every word...

 

Needs Some Work

This automatic ketchup-dispensing robot is about as accurate as I was when I worked at McDonald's - perpetually hungover - while attending Penn State.

They Don't Call It "Happy Valley" For Nothing ...

I went to Penn State so long ago that we didn't even have shower stalls in my dorm. We had big, open, locker-room style "gang showers", which would have made the above a little risky.

Accordingly, there were an exceptionally large number of bathroom stalls - which seemed to be occupied A LOT...

Happy Birthday Matthew!

Happy Birthday to Matthew R - who turns 38 years-old today! And NO, I will not use his entire last name because the Googlebots get nervous if I mention certain "actors" from a particular genre of "films" - and then my advertisements go away (as well as the pennies I earn from them).

Anywhore, here are some little-known facts about todays birthday boy:

• Matthew was born in Central Pennsylvania (like me) and graduated from Penn State (also like me).
• Very much UNLIKE me, he holds a degree in Exercise Physiology - and has been a competitive bodybuilder.
• He is bi-racial and openly gay - which couldn't have been easy growing up in conservative rural Pennsylvania.
• In addition to his well-know "films", Matthew has also done some mainstream acting - most notably in Another Gay Movie and the TV detective film Third Man Out.
• And, finally, Matthew has a GREAT sense of humor. I follow him on Twitter, and his tweets are often hysterical.

Happy Birthday to my fellow Pennsyltuckian and Nittany Lion!!

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Paranormal State Star Comes Out as Bisexual

According to EW, Ryan Buell - the star of A&E docuseries Paranormal State - reveals that he is bisexual in his new book Paranormal State: My Journey Into the Unknown. He also discusses his Catholicism and his struggle to reconcile his religion with his sexuality:

“I’ve decided to share my sexuality and struggle over faith in hopes that others will no longer feel as though they are alone or that they can’t be religious.”

I've watched Paranormal State before - mainly because Buell and his "researchers" are students or alumni of Penn State - my alma mater.  In fact, in the picture above, Buell is standing in front of Old Main - the building which houses the university President's office and other administrative offices.  And back in my day, the area in front of Old Main was a PRIME cruising ground after dark.  Not that I would know or anything...

Actually, the steps in front of Old Main was the very first place I met/hung out with a group of openly gay men.  On Friday and Saturday nights, a bunch of guys would gather on the steps to watch all the cruising, critique people's outfits, and generally act catty (you know how we do) - and I became part of the group.  Since I was in the closet during college, it was a BIG first step for me to actually hang out with these guys.  Granted, it was pretty late at night and the chances of one of my straight buddies walking past was pretty slim (all my friends lived off-campus at that point) - but it was still a big deal for me.  In fact, a couple of guys I met there became good friends even after college.

Anywhore, I just think it's kind of funny that bisexual Ryan had his picture taken in that particular spot.  Maybe he was planning on meeting "the girls" later.

Oh, one last thing, I once drunkenly passed out pretty much exactly where Ryan is standing - and slept there in a rum-induced coma until morning.  

80's Flashback - Paul Young "Love Of The Common People"

Paul "Every Time You Go Away" Young was one of the very few concerts I attended during my time at Penn State.  This was mainly because not many touring national artists stopped to play in Happy Valley, and those that did tended to be rock acts (which I wasn't much interested in).  I remember Young's concert in Rec Hall as being delightful, and I think the song he opened with was my favorite Paul Young song of all time - Love of the Common People - from his first album No Parlez.  I had No Parlez on cassette and I wore that sucker OUT during college...

Penn State Ranked Among Top LGBT-Friendly Colleges

My alma mater - The Pennsylvania State University - has just received a perfect 5 stars in Campus Pride's annual survey which ranks colleges on their LGBT friendliness.  GO PENN STATE!!

I must say, I'm a little surprised.  When I was a big-ole closet case during my 6 (count 'em!) years at Penn State, the university and the student body at large were not particularly tolerant of gay people.  There was a Gay & Lesbian Student Alliance (and a gay bar across from campus), but that's about it.  In fact, while I was closeted I can't remember meeting any openly gay people in all of my travels.  Of course I encountered (cough cough ... SO TO SPEAK) many other closet cases like myself - and after graduation I learned that many of my closest "straight" friends in college were actually gay.  But none of us felt comfortable enough to come out during our time at Penn State.

I'm really happy to see things have changed.

Cutest Couple EVAH!

After all that DRAMA, the reunion with Dana (my girlfriend from college - above) went fantastically.  Although it was much too short.

Dana came to NYC yesterday with some girlfriends to see a show.  Since she knows me ALL TO WELL, Dana purposefully didn't tell me about her plans - thinking that if given notice, I would have time to weasel out of meeting.  And she was right - I'm totally lame that way.

So after much texing/calling yesterday afternoon, I met them at the theater.  OMG - that girl actually looks BETTER than she did in college.  Beeyotch.  

It was GREAT seeing her.  I walked Dana and her gals from the theater to their restaurant (which was only 2 blocks from my apartment), where we had a drink before they sat down to dinner and I went back to my day.

I was so silly for worrying about my weight, Dana couldn't care less (which I already knew).  But, looking back, I really might have avoided meeting if I realized she still looked so damn good...

Some background ... Dana and I met at Penn State after we both joined a co-ed service fraternity.  We dated, off and on, for a fun but drama-filled couple of years before eventually breaking up for good.  After graduation, Dana got a job the Philly suburbs (where she grew up) as a Biology teacher, a job she still holds today and is absolutely perfect for (don't get her started on whales).

When I finally figured out that this whole "gay" thing wasn't going away and I came out to her, Dana's response was something like "OMG - everything makes sense now!!".  And we've remained email/phone friends ever since, but before yesterday we hadn't actually seen each other in person for almost 20 years.

During our visit yesterday Dana half-kiddingly offered me a place to stay when/if I become homeless.  Won't she be surprised when her doorbell rings and she sees me with 14 trashbags of clothes, an old laptop, and two cranky cats standing at her door??

Dana-Dane - if you're reading this, we MUST get together again soon.  Besides, I owe you a drink...

XOXOXOXO

Penn State Will Face LSU in Capital One Bowl

I got good news and bad news for fellow Penn Staters. The good news? ... Penn State will be playing in a bowl game this year. The bad news? ... We're playing in something called "The Capital One Bowl". I didn't even know there WAS a Capital One Bowl...


Anywhore, I was really hoping Penn State would get invited to the Meineke Car Care Bowl - just because it sounds so awesome. You gotta love a football game played in honor of mufflers and lube jobs.

Oh well - WE ARE ... PENN STATE!!

All-American Hunk - Jared Odrick

Jared Odrick is a senior defensive tackle for the Penn State Nittany Lions who was just named to the American Football Coaches Association All-America team. Jared is 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 305 pounds - so it would be frightening NOT to name him a first-team All-American. After all, you wouldn't like him when he's angry...

Odrick is from Lebanon, Pennsylvania - which is close to where I grew up. FYI: Lebanon, PA is NOT pronounced "Leb-a-NON", we pronounce it "LEB-nun". Us simple Pennsylvania Dutch folk don't have time for such foolishness as extra syllables in words. We got crops to plant and wide receivers to tackle.

Thanks to my buddy Dwight Supremacy for sending me information on this mountain of a man.

Penn State Football Hottie - Daryll Clark

Daryll Clark is the quarterback for the Penn State Nittany Lions, who close out their 2009 schedule today at Michigan State. WE ARE ... PENN STATE!!!!!!

Penn State Football Saturday - Chaz Powell

Chaz Powell is a sophomore at the greatest University in the world - Penn State. Chaz and the Penn State Nittany Lions take on Temple this afternoon in Happy Valley - a team we ALWAYS beat when I was in school. Go State!!

Penn State - NIT Champions!

Congratulations to Penn State for winning its first-ever basketball tournament. My Nittany Lions beat Baylor in the National Invitational Tournament at Madison Square Garden tonight, 69 - 63. Before I watched the game on ESPN, I walked past the Garden and scoped the pumped-up Penn State fans entering the arena. Thirty-six buses filled with students and fans (including legendary football coach Joe Paterno) left campus this morning - headed toward NYC. Madison Square Garden was packed with Nittany Lion fans as a result.


I don't follow basketball at all, but I should have - since some of the Penn State players were HOT. First of all, I present to you the MVP of the game ... big man Jamelle Cornley...


And his little buddy, the adorable Talor Battle...

WE ARE ... PENN STATE!!

Stories From Penn State: The Skeller

One of the most popular bars at my old Alma Mater (Penn State) was/is The All-American Rathskeller - better known as The Skeller. The Skeller is a classic dive bar - although from the looks of their website it seems that they at least clean it now (which they did NOT do when I was at school). It was one of those places where my straight college buddies and I could roll into, get wasted and out of control, and stumble out the door at 2:00 AM.


I haven't been back to the Skellar in 15 years - but the thing to do at the Skeller back in my day was called a "Case Study". You and your friends would walk in, buy a CASE of Rolling Rock Ponies (7 oz. bottles - below), place the case on your table (or on the floor), and proceed to drink. I must say, I participated in more than my share of Case Studies, however I tended to order mixed drinks instead of drinking beer. God, even when I was in the closet and drinking with my straight buddies, I was ordering cocktails like a BIG FANCY QUEEN!!!


Every spring the Skeller would try to break their Guinness Book of World Records record for the most cases of beer consumed in one day. This was called THE Case Study (as opposed to A Case Study). Bitches would start lining up early in the morning so they could get into the bar and drink all day. The proceeds went to charity and it was always a good time.


Well bitches, I just found an article written in the Daily Collegian (the student newspaper) back in 1989 about The Case Study. It was written by SOME FANCY QUEEN, and chills ran down my spine when I read the bad prose and clumsy quotes. Oh the horror! I CERTAINLY hope that Fancy Queen's writing has improved since then!!!


Read the ancient story HERE and try not to laugh too hard.


FYI: while doing research for this post, I found out the Skeller no longer sells Rolling Rock by the case. This is probably why I couldn't find any pics of Skellar bar patrons actually drinking Rolling Rock. For God's sake, those people in the last picture have friggin' FOOD on their table. What in the fancy queen HELL is that all about?...